(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of edible materials and more particularly to a novel method of imparting a red hue to edible materials by incorporating a stabilized solid solution consisting of FD & C Red No. 3 and edible gelatin; to edible materials colored with stabilized solid solutions consisting essentially of FD & C Red No. 3 and edible gelatin; to stabilized solid solutions consisting essentially of FD & C Red No. 3 and edible gelatin useful as a dyestuff for edible materials, particularly edible materials containing acids; and to the process for preparing said stabilized solid solutions.
(B) Description of the Prior Art
Many of the colors previously employed for lending a red hue to edible foodstuffs and beverages have been only provisionally accepted for safe use by the government agencies which control the use and application of such materials. The availability of water-soluble bluish-red colored organic dyestuffs for use in edible compositions has been greatly restricted since FD & C Red No. 2 has been removed from the approved listed food colors. Currently, there exist two red-colored synthetic dyestuffs to be used in edible foodstuffs. One is FD & C Red No. 40 which is yellowish-red in shade. The second is FD & C Red No. 3 which is bluish-red in shade. The certified color, FD & C Red No. 3 (erythrosine), is known to possess considerable stability in the presence of ascorbic acid and presumably might function effectively as a coloring agent in acidic media. However, it has long been recognized by color chemists that this dye is insoluble in aqueous acid solutions at a pH below 4.2. Generally, FD & C Red No. 3 has not been used to color edible materials which are considered strongly acid, that is with a pH of less than 4.2, for example, gelatin desserts and fruit-flavored beverages both carbonated and non-carbonated. Thus, there is a need for a bluish-red dyestuff which possesses stability in solutions having acid strengths of less than 4.2 pH units. It surprisingly has been found that the stabilized solid solutions of the instant invention consisting essentially of FD & C Red No. 3 and edible gelatin possess the desired ability to exhibit strong tinctorial strengths in acid mixtures where the pH values are less than 4.2.
The following items, to date, appear to constitute the most relevant prior art with regard to the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,841, which issued Feb. 4, 1969, discloses the use of FD & C Red No. 3 to impart a selected color to a blend of pineapple and grapefruit juices having a pH of between 3.1 and 4.2. The blend is described as usually containing citric and ascorbic acids in addition to the natural acidic components of the blend.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,483,002, which issued Dec. 9, 1969, discloses the use of FD & C Red No. 3 in tablets of gelatinous coloring compositions which include sugar, gelatin, gum arabic and hydrogenated vegetable shortening. The tablets are described as a medium for the transfer of color and flavor into foods, confections and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,172,113, issued Feb. 16, 1916, discloses a process for producing coloring tablets for candy which consists of concentrating a solution of sugar, gelatin and a color soluble in said solution until the composition may be formed into tablets.
Cooper, Ansel and Cadwallader in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1973, 62(7), 1156-64 describe the use of eight FD & C dyes, including FD & C Red No. 3 for coloring pharmaceutical gelatin of the type used for preparing capsules. This paper, in particular, treats of the effects of the dyes on the disintegration behavior of the gelatins.